Though this kind of exercise tends to be something that so many people are intimidated by, at the same time, a good crossfit workout can be just what the doctor ordered. This is a unique and newer way of working out that focuses on strength at the core.
What is a CrossFit Workout?
A crossfit workout is a style of exercise that continually varies functional movements. It is usually a moderately high to high intensity form of exercise. The idea is to replicate the types of core movement that are used in everyday life in order to strengthen the parts of the body needed to accomplish them. Often, you’re required to move a large load over a substantial distance in order to get the most amount of work completed in the smallest amount of time.
By combining this high-power output with an approach that is always varying, it can mean that your CrossFit workout will bring you substantial fitness gains in a shorter than expected period of time.
This kind of exercise is based on a more general mindset as opposed to a specialized one. It combines everything from kettlebells to Olympic weightlifting, from gymnastics to body weight exercises and form power lifting to endurance workouts such as running or rowing. These workouts are meant to be designed to suit each individual’s unique athletic capacity.
Though there are a great deal of cardio activities involved, the main focus within crossfit is the strength element. You are working to get stronger and as you do so you are building great muscle tone. So, you end up being fitter, stronger, and you change your body for the better in the process. It can be helpful to know just how this all works as it relates to weight loss specifically.
Keeping Things New with a CrossFit Workout
A crossfit workout changes each and every day. These are known as Workout of the Day or WOD’s for short. Each day those who train within crossFit are given a new workout that may be anything from cardio and strength intervals to gymnastics movements to weightlifting.
People never know what they are going to get until they arrive, and therefore it’s all about variety. This is one of the first and most notable ways that an individual loses weight because when you keep the body guessing in this manner, it tends to lose weight and gain muscle.
You Are Changing Your Body with Every Workout
Another reason that a good crossFit workout helps you to lose weight is that you are building up more muscle tone and definition. This may sound counterintuitive to some as they are adding bulk to the body, but the muscle is actually replacing the fat.
What this does is help to also speed up your metabolism. So, as you gain strength you are also burning more calories, even at rest. Your metabolism is like the switch within the body to natural and efficient weight loss, and so it all flows together.
Another benefit of the crossfit workout is that it helps you to burn some serious calories at each workout. Though the workouts may be shorter in duration they are bound to be intense each and every time. You may find yourself doing everything from burpees to weightlifting intervals to running to kettlebell swings, and just about all activities in between.
You may not be performing them for as long, but you are doing them in short and intense interval bursts. This makes for an efficient way of torching calories and helping you to take the weight off and keep it off forever!
How to Get Started with a CrossFit Workout
It’s usually best to have a professional design your CrossFit workout for you when you’re first getting started. It may be tempting to try to do things on your own based on what you read online or on some videos you’ve watched on YouTube. However, because this is such a general type of workout and it is meant to cater to each person’s unique athletic limitations and capabilities, it’s easy to make mistakes in knowing what those limitations and capabilities are.
By designing your own workout when you don’t actually know what you’re doing, you place yourself at an increased risk of injury. Instead, talk to a personal trainer from a local gym or studio or even a freelancer who is familiar with this type of workout. It may involve a small investment for the assessment and exercise list, but it will be worth it when you avoid injury and see great results.
